(Topeka, Kansas)
The first Volga Germans arrived in Topeka on Sunday, 28 November 1875, and articles about them began appearing in Topeka's papers on 2 December 1875.
1875-12-02 (Thursday)
The Mennonites* continue to throng the sidewalk and exhibit as much surprise at the sights as Gov. Guthrie did in Washington when he took the Presidential returns there a few years ago.
[*Volga Germans mistakenly identified as Mennonites, who had been through Topeka earlier in the year.]
1875-12-04 (Saturday)
Some of the Mennonites* new in the city, are making a practice of begging to the great annoyance of some of our citizens. We regard them as the wards of the Santa Fe Railroad Company, and it should see they have the necessaries of life.
[*Volga Germans mistakenly identified as Mennonites, who had been through Topeka earlier in the year.]
1875-12-06 (Monday)
The Mennonites* in this city are becoming quite a nuisance. They are circulating themselves throughout the city begging for money and something to eat, much to the annoyance of the citizen.
[*Volga Germans mistakenly identified as Mennonites, who had been through Topeka earlier in the year.]
1875-12-07 (Tuesday)
People around the old Topeka House where the Mennonites* are quartered, say that the Russian ladies are not afraid to go out on the sidewalk and wash their legs as far as the knees. A young man who keeps a grocery not far from there, says he watched a manoevere of the kind and continued watching until the lady began to untie some strings about her waist. They he was afraid to watch any longer.
[*Volga Germans mistakenly identified as Mennonites, who had been through Topeka earlier in the year.]
1875-12-13 (Monday)
The Mennonites* alias Russians have gone to North Topeka to board. The citizens must be happy now, in this new acquisition.
[*Volga Germans mistakenly identified as Mennonites, who had been through Topeka earlier in the year.]
1875-12-15 (Wednesday)
The way the Russians chop and split wood in the city here would make an old back-woodsman laugh in his sleeve. They place the stick across the block, and sit on the stick. In this way about a dozen well directed blows, if a great deal of power is applied, will sever a small stick. The colored people of this city exhibit symptoms of discontent over the Russian invaders. They complain that our new guests are controlling the price of labor, offering to work for little or nothing, and then not working in all cases. If this state of affairs continues much longer a "war of races" will be the result.
[*Volga Germans mistakenly identified as Mennonites, who had been through Topeka earlier in the year.]
1875-12-16 (Thursday)
The weird form of the sad Russian still casts a shadow upon our sidewalk, as he stands upon the corner, peers into the uncertain future. One of them bought an axe the other day to do a job and as soon as it got out on him, every Russian had an axe, a bucksawe, or a broad axe. And now they are Russian around under bidding each other on wood piles. They sit down to chop, and it takes one at each end of the buck saw.
1875-12-23 (Thursday)
The Russians here, in the city are somewhat excited over the charges made against them for stealing. They say there are two families among them who steal, but they cannot find the guilty ones. They express a desire that the persons who are detected in stealing be arrested and punished.
1875-12-24 (Friday)
The Russians seem to be on the move some. One wagon passed along the avenue this morning in which were about twenty of them closely packed - destination unknown. Other wagons filled with men and boys are on the move, and people stand on the sidewalk and wave them a farewell.
1876-02-16
The old Topeka House is being torn down.
1876-02-22
The Russians were packing up their traps and loading them on the Kansas Pacific cars, this morning. They are going west to settle upon lands purchased of the K.P. Railroad, probably as far west as Hays City.